FF: Romans, Masks, and Norse Gods

March came in like a lamb, but now is flirting with lions, so I’m glad I have good things to read.

Kel Conquers Chaos

For those of you just discovering this feature, the Friday Fragments lists what I’ve read over the past week. Most of the time I don’t include details of either short fiction (unless part of a book-length collection) or magazine articles.

The Fragments are not meant to be a recommendation list. If you’re interested in a not-at-all-inclusive recommendation list, you can look on my website under Neat Stuff.

Once again, this is not a book review column. It’s just a list with, maybe, a bit of description or a few opinions tossed in.

Recently Completed:

The King’s Gambit by John Maddox Roberts. Audiobook. First in the SPQR series. I enjoyed so much that… Well, see the next section!

The King of Chaos by Dave Gross. Pathfinder novel. Characterization through battle after battle is possible. Interesting.

Maskwork by Jennifer Foreman. Part history of the form, part project book. Entirely fascinating. Maybe I should make a mask or two. Could be a story in that.

In Progress:

The Catiline Conspiracy by John Maddox Roberts. Second SPQR novel. I have fond memories of events that are a prequel to this conspiracy, from back in the days when Walter Jon Williams was running an RPG with this setting. I was playing a female doctor, and was called in to examine the possibly violated Vestal Virgin.

Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan. Audiobook. Turns out the Greek and Roman gods aren’t the only ones around. The reader started out terribly. Apparently, he thinks sixteen year-old boys are morons. Smoothed out once adult characters entered the story.

Also:

Gearing up for a new chapter in my on-going RPG, so reviewing a lot of gaming material.

Have you ever watched the movie “Mirrormask”? Some interesting mask work there. The movie itself is something I describe as: If “Labyrinth” was written by Neil Gaiman, art directed by Dave McKean, and without David Bowie. It works, but it lacks the pure joy of “Labyrinth”.

Recently completed:
Doorways in the Sand, Roger Zelazny (an old favorite)
Against Authority, John Twelve Hawks (nonfiction by author of Traveler … probably … since we don’t really know if the author is one person or a consortium)
assorted short fiction

I THINK VISUALLY ALL THE TIME AND I’M IMAGINATIVE ENOUGH TO MEMORIZE FICTION CHARACTERS QUITE EASILY MYSELF THIS IS JANE LINDSKOLD’S AND DISNEY’S BIG FAN JASMINE OLSON. I HAVE A SIMPLE TIME MEMORIZING MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS AND MAKING A LIST OF MIXED COMPANIES IN MY PERSONAL CAST.

I ALSO LIKE THE COMPANIIES SONY, COLUMBUS / TRISTAR PARAMOUNT, UNIVERSAL, THE WARNER BROS AND SIMILAR GROUPS.